I still wonder how many award shows we need. But, I think I wonder more about – how much to they actually mean? When we’re bombarded with one award show after the next, seeing all kinds of statues, trophies, and performances; hearing every possible way in the world to say “thank you’… and yet, they keep coming… Do they really mean all that much to the artists?
This one probably does. It’s another show where the fans get to vote. In fact, the winner of each and every one of these awards will be picked by the fans. The show is the American Country Awards, the ACAs. This is its first year. So we’ll have to see how it goes. Coming to us live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. And of course, televised live from 8-10 p.m. (ET) on FOX.
Lady Antebellum and Easton Corbin are leading the nominations list. I can’t believe it was just a year ago that I saw Easton at the Paramount in Bristol, Tenn., doing one of those free, acoustic performances as part of a radio tour. And now, he’s definitely sitting on the top of the world.
When I looked over the list of nominees, the first thing I thought of is “What happened to everybody else?” We do have names like Toby Keith, Martina McBride, George Strait and Tim McGraw, as nominees in the Touring Artist of the Year” category. But other than that, most of the people nominated are relatively newcomers to country music.
Here are the nominations:
Artist of the Year: Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, Zac Brown Band
Artist of the Year, Male: Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley, Keith Urban
Artist of the Year, Female: Jewel, Miranda Lambert, Reba McEntire, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood
Artist of the Year, Due or Group: Lady Antebellum, Rascal Flatts, Sugarland, The Band Perry, Zac Brown Band 
Artist of the Year, Breakthrough Artist: Easton Corbin, Danny Gokey, Jaron and The Long Road To Love, Jerrod Niemann, The Band Perry (This is totally cool, I have met every one of the artists in this category)
Album of the Year: "Doin’ My Thing," Luke Bryan, "Need You Now," Lady Antebellum, "Revolution," Miranda Lambert, "Haywire," Josh Turner, "Play On," Carrie Underwood
Single of the Year: "Do I," Luke Bryan, "A Little More Country Than That," Easton Corbin, "Need You Now," Lady Antebellum, "Gimme That Girl," Joe Nichols, "Why Don’t We Just Dance," Josh Turner
Single of the Year, Male: "Do I," Luke Bryan "Little More Country Than That," Easton Corbin, "That’s How Country Boys Roll," Billy Currington, "Gimme That Girl," Joe Nichols, "Why Don’t We Just Dance," Josh Turner
Single of the Year, Female: "White Liar," Miranda Lambert, "Wrong Baby Wrong," Martina McBride, "Consider Me Gone," Reba McEntire, "Didn’t Know How Much I Loved You," Kellie 
Pickler, "Cowboy Casanova," Carrie Underwood
Single of the Year, Duo or Group: "Need You Now," Lady Antebellum, "Little White Church," Little Big Town, "Unstoppable," Rascal Flatts, "Keep On Lovin’ You," Steel Magnolia, "Toes," Zac Brown Band
Single of the Year, Breakthrough Artist: "Little More Country Than That," Easton Corbin, "Pray for You," Jaron and The Long Road To Love, "Lover, Lover," Jerrod Niemann, "Keep on Lovin’ You," Steel Magnolia, "Beer on the Table," Josh Thompson
Touring Artist of the Year: Brooks & Dunn, Toby Keith, Martina McBride & Trace Adkins, Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, George Strait & Reba McEntire, Sugarland, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood 
Music Video, Male: "A Little More Country Than That," Easton Corbin, "Southern Voice," Tim McGraw, "Hillbilly Bone," Blake Shelton with Trace Adkins, "Why Don’t We Just Dance," Josh Turner, "The Man I Want To Be," Chris Young
Music Video, Female: "White Liar," Miranda Lambert, "Consider Me Gone," Reba McEntire, "Didn’t Know How Much I Loved You," Kellie Pickler, "Cowboy Casanova," Carrie Underwood, "Work Hard, Play Harder," Gretchen Wilson
Music Video, Duo or Group : "Need You Now," Lady Antebellum, "Little White Church," Little Big Town, "Unstoppable," Rascal Flatts, "Keep on Lovin’ You," Steel Magnolia, "Highway 20 Ride," Zac Brown Band
Music Video, Breakthrough Artist : "Giddy On Up," Laura Bell Bundy, "A Little More Country Than That," Easton Corbin, "Lover, Lover," Jerrod Niemann, "Keep on Lovin’ You," Steel Magnolia, "If I Die Young," The Band Perry
Remember, these are all fan-voted awards, and here’s where you need to go to vote: Vote
It’s about time for me to get that turkey ready to go in the oven. I hope all of you have a great Thanksgiving! Talk to you all soon!
Country
It really is amazing how many new country artists there are in the genre, not to mention, how broad the spectrum of country music is now.
I voted daily for my favorites and it seems these fan based awards come down to the size of the fan bases.
Of course I am thrilled to see Reba still being recognized and nominated in four categories. I’ve been a fan forever it seems.
You make a very good point about who these award shows choose to nominate year after year. Thankfully sites such as yours and, with the help of the Internet in general, we country fans are treated to many newcomers and old timer’s who you never hear on the radio, or on these said award shows. Long gone are the days you could call your favorite radio station and request somebody they would play. Now its all about the almighty record sales, that in my opinion, is who is seen and heard. It’s all become too political for me. So on this Thanksgiving I’m thankful for sites such as yours who still offer the fans everyone we enjoy. Have a wonderful holiday, and thank you kindly. G4R
I’m glad to see more fan-voted awards shows on TV, instead of the ones where some board or committee picks the winners. I’m also ecstatic to see my favorite artist, Danny Gokey, nominated for Breakthrough Artist of the Year. I’ve seen him live a few times now (and I’ve met him a few times as well), and after seeing his live show, I have no doubt in my mind that he’s a superstar in the making. I hope he wins–he absolutely deserves it. And it couldn’t happen to a nicer guy, too. Good luck to all of the nominees!
Like Brandon, I am so excited to see my favorite, Danny Gokey, nominated for an award. I hope he wins and I think he has a great shot at it, but whether he does or not it is going to make me very happy to hear his name read out as a nominee! I like these shows, it’s a fun way to see our favorites all dressed up and it felt good to get to vote for Danny and support him in this way. I’m very excited to see the show!
There can be too many award shows. But truthfully, I find it boring when the same people are always nominated, so it is refreshing that the ACAs include some new names.
I do agree, Girl4Reba, that country music crosses a broad spectrum now, but that is what I like about it! Just like rock music is a big umbrella with many sub-genres, I suspect that the same is happening with country music. Music in some of the other genres is not very appealing right now, and I’m wondering if that is not contributing to the broadening of the country music boundaries? Anyway, I had no idea what I was missing!
I am very curious, Girl4Reba, about your reference to “newcomers and old timer’s who you never hear on the radio,” and your comment that “[l]ong gone are the days you could call your favorite radio station and request somebody they would play.”
I had a very bad experience with my local country radio station. I was lied to. They played my conversation with the DJ, & said they would play my request (a song that was in the current top 40). They never played it, & when I called back to find out whether they’d made a mistake about the song I requested, they flat out-and-out refused to play it. And I was a loyal listener! So, political? Um, yeah! Now I find other stations around the country that are more likely to play what I like, and livestream them over the Internet. (What I like = variety: old & new, modern & traditional, all mixed together.)
(P.S.) I thought Reba’s “Consider Me Gone” was one of the best songs of the year.
I love watching shows like this. I love country music. I am a big big fan of carrie underwood.